The present invention is a protective panel for shielding a dock pad while loading and unloading cargo. The present invention provides a solution to protect dock pads from tearing on the inside face from the forklift traffic moving between the warehouse and the trailer of a semitruck.
Dock pads are cushioning pads applied to the perimeter of a loading dock. The loading dock enables semitrucks to load and unload cargo directly to and from a warehouse or a storage facility. Dock pads shield the exterior surface of the warehouse or the storage facility from collisions against the truck bumper which can occur when the semitruck attempts to back into the loading bay. Generally, a forklift is used to transport the cargo from the trailer truck to the warehouse. However, the constant back and forth of the forklift through the dock pad, can cause the forklift to rub against and damage the interior face of the dock pad. As such, the purpose of the present invention is to protect the vinyl on the inside of a dock pad, from the sharp, hard, metallic surface of the forklift that enters and exits through the loading dock. By shielding the vinyl from the hard-metallic exterior of the forklift, the present invention greatly reduces costly repairs and replacements of the dock pad.
To solve this problem, the present invention utilizes a protective panel made of high-density polyethylene. Panel fasteners are used to connect the protective panel onto the metallic door jamb of the loading dock. The panel fasteners are connected with fender washers and blots to the protective panel. Real world testing conducted using the present invention, showed that the protective panel was very effective. After a two-month period of abuse, the protective panel successfully protected the dock pad.
The present invention provides an improvement from the prior arts currently available in the public domain. The prior art utilizes a thicker pad material which is still susceptible to tear from forklifts rubbing and dragging against the exterior surface. In contrast, the present invention completely isolates the forklift from the dock pad.